Information handling systems, such as desktop computers, servers, network appliances, and the like, are driving the expansion of the modern economy. Because information handling systems are performance driven, system throughput is vital for differentiating products, such as products that exchange massive amounts of information, both internally and externally, with storage devices, network interface cards, and the like. Therefore, increases in the ability to transfer data both within the system itself and transfer data over a network may afford competitive advantages for systems able to provide these advances.
One such problem is the transfer of data within the information handling system itself. Due to rapid advancements in processor speed, storage device access times, network speed, and the like, the bandwidth available within the system has steadily eroded. Thus, advancements in the ability of a system to input and output data are at the cutting edge of information handling system development. However, development of faster bus standards has encountered some limitations, namely the dependency of the operations of internal buses to external buses. For example, bus interface controller cores often have internal interfaces, which are tightly tied to the external bus. The internal interfaces may require agents connecting to them to have knowledge of various external bus characteristics, such as disconnection points and byte alignment. Previously, changes in external bus interfaces have required redesign of numerous internal modules. Although attempts have been made at removing external bus dependence from internal interfaces, changes in external bus interfaces typically require redesign of numerous internal modules.
Accordingly, it is advantageous to provide an interface for a bus independent core. However, when multiple agents within such a bus independent core share access to the interface, arbitration priority is ineffective when a high-priority agent makes a request after the shared interface has already been given to another agent. As a result, it would be desirable to provide a method for furnishing pre-emptive arbitration within such an interface.